If we have all the information imaginable at our fingertips today, why not use it to our advantage?

For a moment, imagine that all of us, as citizens or tourists, could discover the corners of any destination while learning about its ecosystem, its biodiversity, its culture... and the best ways to preserve them. 

As awareness of environmental protection grows, destinations are increasingly committed to providing eco-friendly education to their citizens and visitors. In turn, a more educated population will increase the demand for more responsible initiatives that promote respect for our environment.

It is everyone's job, but it is clear that environmental education and awareness-raising play an essential role as the basis of the process.

What does environmental education mean?

It is about acquiring knowledge about the importance of conserving the environment, our natural resources, and how to play an active role in this.

Through educational programmes, workshops and activities, it is possible to learn about everything from the natural ecosystems we have to the environmental challenges we face.

To achieve effective environmental education, all stakeholders in a place must be involved. Without going any further, destinations and their public bodies play a key role in raising awareness of local environmental challenges and promoting sustainable practices among visitors and the local community.

Fortunately, more and more destinations are getting involved and taking steps to promote sustainability and educate both visitors and locals about the importance of protecting the environment.

You may be wondering what exactly a destination can do to create this environmental awareness. Well, here are some examples of real cases that have been carried out on the island of Lanzarote to make a difference, don't miss them!

Initiatives for more sustainable education

From educational programmes to community projects, Lanzarote, a Biosphere Certified destination, is doing all it can to promote sustainability on the island. Here are just some of the actions they have put in place:

-       Drawing competition

Projects such as the World Environment Day drawing competition, carried out by the Lanzarote Tourism Federation, connect with students and make them aware of issues of environmental concern. In this case, the competition focused on the issue of Climate Change, and 700 students took part.

• Environmental volunteering

The Lanzarote Biosphere Reserve has launched the volunteering programme "Together we are Biosphere"to involve citizens in all areas that can contribute to a more sustainable Lanzarote. The programme's environmental actions include cleaning beaches, urban areas and abandoned plots of land; revegetation with native species; control of invasive species and the creation of urban vegetable gardens. However, they also carry out social volunteering and citizen science actions.

• Sustainability course

If you are a resident of Lanzarote, good news! The destination, through the Biosphere platform, offers you a complete basic training in sustainability and sustainable tourism completely free of charge. If you are interested and meet the conditions, you can apply for your voucher here.